Psychodynamic

Question 1

What are the key assumptions of the psychodynamic approach?

Answer 1

Sigmund Freud is the “father” of the approach.

It assumes that if we have problematic behaviour we must access the unconscious mind to sort it out.

Instincts/ Drives motivate our behaviour.

Early childhood experiences are believed to be pivotal in making us the person we are today.

Freud believed that people could be “cured” by making their unconscious thoughts conscious.

He believed that the manifest symptoms are caused by latent (hidden) disturbances.

Question 2

What are the two instincts that drive human behaviour?

Answer 2

Eros and Thanatos.

Question 3

Outline Eros.

Answer 3

Life instincts, helps the individual to survive.

It directs life-sustaining activities such as respiration, eating and sex (pleasure and production of offspring).

The energy created by the life instincts are known as libido.

Question 4

Outline Thanatos.

Answer 4

Death instinct, a set of destructive forces present in all human beings.

E.g. Aggression and violence.

Question 5

Freud believed that which instinct was stronger?

Answer 5

Freud believe that Eros is stronger than Thanatos.

Question 6

Freud believed that the mind was like an iceberg. What are the 3 sections?

Answer 6

The “conscious mind”.

The “pre-conscious mind”.

The “unconscious mind”.

Question 7

Outline the ‘conscious mind’ as a section of the iceberg analogy.

Answer 7

The part of the mind we can access and is visible to all.

Thoughts that are currently the focus of your attention are part of the conscious.

Question 8

Outline the ‘pre-conscious mind’ as a section of the iceberg analogy.

Answer 8

Located “just below the surface” and is made up of thoughts that could surface at any time in the conscious.

In the pre-conscious thought, dreams, memories and Freudian slips occur.

Question 9

Outline the ‘unconscious mind’ as a section of the iceberg analogy.

Answer 9

A vast storehouse of biological drives and instincts that have a significant influence on our behaviour and personality.

These subjects cannot be accessed consciously, partly due to repressed threat, disturbance and violence.

Question 10

What are Freudian slips?

Answer 10

An error in speech due to the interference of an unconscious wish or train of thought.

Question 11

Within the iceberg Freud believed that there was 3 personalities. What were these?

Answer 11

‘Id’.

‘Ego’.

‘Superego’.

Question 12

Outline the ‘id’ as a personality within the iceberg analogy.

Answer 12

Develops from 0-18 months.

Freud thought that everyone is “born as a bundle of id”.

It is driven by instincts and governed by the pleasure principle.

Question 13

Outline the ‘ego’ as a personality within the iceberg analogy.

Answer 13

Develops from 18-36 months.

The “ego” is conscious and its role is to balance the id and the superego.

It is governed by the reality principle.

Question 14

Outline the ‘superego’ as a personality within the iceberg analogy.

Answer 14

Develops from 3-6 years.

Freud believed that the “superego” feels guilt and drives to do good, however this can be restrictive - holding back the host and shading them from life.

It is governed by the morality principle.

Question 15

What are defence mechanisms?

Answer 15

Methods we use unconsciously to reduce anxiety.

Anxiety, according to Freud “weakens the influence of the ego”, which must remain strong in order to balance out the superego and the id.

Question 16

How many defence mechanisms did Freud identify? What are the main ones?

Answer 16

A total of 17.

Displacement.
Repression.
Denial.
Projection.

Question 17

Outline displacement as a defence mechanism. Give an example.

Answer 17

Discharging pent-up feelings, usually of hostility, on objects less dangerous than those that initially aroused the emotion.

E.g. Bullying due to family issues at home.

Question 18

Outline repression as a defence mechanism. Give an example.

Answer 18

Blocking a threatening memory from consciousness.

E.g. Getting bitten by a dog when you were a child, and growing up not knowing why you are scared of dogs.

Question 19

Outline denial as a defence mechanism. Give an example.

Answer 19

Refusing to admit that something unpleasant is happening, or that a taboo emotion is being experienced.

E.g. Refusing to believe you didn’t get an A* in a test.

Question 20

Outline projection as a defence mechanism. Give an example.

Answer 20

When an individual may attribute their undesirable characteristics onto others.

E.g. Pointing out that someone is angry, in order to prevent yourself from being exposed as angry.

Question 21

What are the psychosexual stages of development?

Answer 21

A series of stages every individual progresses through birth to becoming an adult.

Freud claimed that people move through a series of developmental stages.

Each stage is characterised by a focus on a different region of the body.

Question 22

What is the underlying conscious drive?

Answer 22

Sexual.

Question 23

Outline the oral stage of the psychosexual stages.

Answer 23

0 - 18 months.

Infant obtains a satisfaction from eating, sucking and other activities using the mouth.

Question 24

Outline the anal stage of the psychosexual stages.

Answer 24

18 - 36 months.

Toilet training takes place, anal region rises in importance.

Question 25

Outline the phallic stage of the psychosexual stages.

Answer 25

3 - 6 years.

Genitals become a key source of satisfaction.

Question 26

Outline the phallic stage of the psychosexual stages, for males.

Answer 26

At age 5, boys acquire the Oedipus Complex:

They sexually desire their mother and want to remove the father.

This results in the boy fearing their father.

Conclusively this is countered by the child adopting traits and attitudes of the father - developing a superego.

Question 27

Outline the phallic stage of the psychosexual stages, for females.

Answer 27

At age 5, girls come to recognise that they don’t have a penis and blame their mother of this.

The girl’s father is now the love-object and she substitutes her “penis envy” with the desire to have a child.

This leads to a resolution and ultimate identification with their mother.

Question 28

Outline the latency stage of the psychosexual stages.

Answer 28

6 years - puberty.

Boys and girls spend very little time together.

Question 29

Outline the genital stage of the psychosexual stages.

Answer 29

Puberty - adulthood.

The main source of sexual pleasure is in the genitals.

Question 30

How may a fixation occur?

Answer 30

If a child experiences severe problems or excessive pleasure at any stage of development this may lead to a fixation.

Question 31

How does a regression occur?

Answer 31

Adults who experience stress later in life are likely to show regression.

They regress back to the psychosexual stage they were fixated at as a child.

Question 32

Outline ‘oral receptive’ as a personality stage during fixation-regression.

Answer 32

Trusting.

Gullible.

Over-dependent.

May suck their thumb.

Question 33

Outline ‘oral aggressive’ as a personality stage during fixation-regression.

Answer 33

Aggressive.

Domineering.

May chew/ bite their nails.

Question 34

Outline ‘anal receptive’ as a personality stage during fixation-regression.

Answer 34

Obsessively tidy.

Stubborn.

Mean.

Doesn’t like to spend money.

Question 35

Outline ‘anal expulsive’ as a personality stage during fixation-regression.

Answer 35

Generous.

Untidy.

Creative.

Likes to spend money.

Question 36

Outline ‘phallic’ as a personality stage during fixation-regression.

Answer 36

Vain.

Impulsive.

Unreliable.

Jealous.

Anxious.

If males don’t have a father figure they are more likely to grow up homosexual.

Question 37

Outline ‘genital’ as a personality stage during fixation-regression.

Answer 37

No fixation.

No effect.

Well adjusted.

Mature.

Question 38

Outline the case study of Anna O - 1895.

(Supports the use of Freud’s psychoanalytic methods)

Answer 38

Supports the use of Freud’s psychoanalytic methods.

This is because intense nausea, severe paralysis and eye movement disturbance (from the activation of a defence mechanism against anxiety towards her father), was able to be psychoanalysed through hypnosis and dream analysis to enter Anna’s unconscious mind and retrieve why she was experiencing discomfort.

This suggests that Freud was able to ‘tap in’ to the unconscious mind, and relieve Anna’s symptoms.

Question 39

Outline Jones’ study from 1953.

(Challenges Freud’s psychoanalytic methods on Anna O)

Answer 39

Challenges Freud’s psychoanalytic methods on Anna O.

This is because they claimed that her recovery was not as successful as seems, as she had many relapses and was institutionalised for a while. In later life Anna O refused to allow the orphans she cared for to be treated by this method.

This suggests that psychoanalytic methods are not significant in relieve symptoms, and that it potentially isn’t a very positive experience.

Question 40

What is free association?

Answer 40

When a patient talks of whatever comes into their mind.

Question 41

Outline the case study of Little Hans - 1909.

(Supports Freud’s ideas of the Oedipus complex)

Answer 41

Supports Freud’s ideas of the Oedipus complex.

This is because at the age of 3, Hans showed fascination with “widdlers”, from both his own penis and those from other males - including animals.

He noticed that his mother had no penis, and became worried that his mother may cut off his penis - just like she had done.

Hans was scared of going outside in case he encountered a horse - Freud linked his fear to the horses large penis.

The phobia eventually reduced, and be just became scared of horses with a black harnesses and blinkers - it was suggested that these may symbolise his father’s moustache and glasses.

However, when Hans encountered a horse falling over (believing it to be dead), he became more anxious as he had secretly wished his father to “fall down dead” previously.

Freud’s interpretation suggests that Hans’s fear to the Oedipus complex, horses with black harnesses, blinkers and big penises unconsciously represented his fear of his father.

It also suggests that Hans resolved the conflict as he dreamed himself with a big penis and married to his mother; allowing him to conquer his castration anxiety and finally identify with his father.

Question 42

How does free association work?

Answer 42

This technique involves a therapist reading a set of words (e.g. mother, childhood etc.) and the patient immediately responds with the first word that comes to mind.

On the other hand, the presence of resistance (e.g. an excessively long pause) can indicate to the unconscious preventing information that the therapist wants from being spoken.

Question 43

When may free association not work?

Answer 43

Free association may not prove useful if the client shows resistance, and is reluctant to say what he or she is thinking.

Question 44

What did Freud believe about dreams?

Answer 44

Freud believed that dreams were the “royal road to the unconscious”.

Freud believed that the real meaning of a dream had a sexual significance.

When someone cannot recall a dream with ease, it is said that the ego is putting the ‘spilt’ information back into the unconscious mind.

Question 45

How does dream analysis work?

Answer 45

During sleep, the ego’s defences are lowered, allowing repressed material to surface.

When someone cannot recall a dream with ease, it is said that the ego is putting the ‘spilt’ information back into the unconscious mind.

Question 46

What is latent and manifest content?

Answer 46

Latent content is the hidden meaning of dreams.

Manifest content is what we can recall from a dream.

Question 47

What is hypnosis?

Answer 47

A mental state usually induced by a procedure known as hypnotic induction.

It occurs naturally within all humans and animals.

Question 48

How does hypnosis work?

Answer 48

Patient is placed under a trance (relaxed and calm state).

The therapist then investigates the patients unconscious thoughts and desires.

The hypnotic state can be terminated by the patient at any time, and is safe.

Question 49

What can hypnosis be used to treat?

Answer 49

Smoking, pain management, stress, relationship problems, confidence issues, and weight loss.

Question 50

What is a disadvantage of hypnosis?

Answer 50

Hypnosis doesn’t work for everyone and some people are more susceptible than others.